Northern Ireland Protocol - Foreign Secretary statement 17 May 22

18 May 2022

As you may be aware, the Foreign Secretary Liz Truss updated the House of Commons (on 17 May) on the government’s intention to introduce legislation to make changes to the Northern Ireland Protocol.
During her statement, the Foreign Secretary reiterated the UK Government’s responsibility to fix issues facing communities in Northern Ireland, including elements of the protocol that have created barriers between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, while maintaining those elements that preserve North-South trade and co-operation on the island of Ireland.

This legislation is being introduced alongside the government seeking to continue negotiations on the protocol.

Next Steps
You do not need to take any action now – you can continue to move goods in exactly the same way as you’ve been doing.
The government will be working closely with business as we develop the new arrangements – the UK Government wants to work with business representative bodies to ensure that any changes work for wider businesses; ensuring arrangements can operate smoothly to preserve trade and co-operation across the island of Ireland and between Northern Ireland and Great Britain.
There will of notice before any changes come into effect – the UK Government will give businesses and citizens clarity and certainty about the new arrangements we will put in place. There will not be any changes to how things work without us communicating that to businesses well in advance.

You can read the full statement here: Northern Ireland Protocol: Foreign Secretary's statement, 17 May 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)